LI CHENGXIN
School of Social Science, Arts and Humanities, Lincoln University College, Malaysia
Email: yuyuyu328@fomail.com

1.The Background: Intangible cultural heritage carries the unique memories and skills of human civilization, but faces the dilemma of broken transmission and insufficient public awareness under the impact of modernization. How to integrate the core values of intangible cultural heritage into contemporary life and revitalize it has become an urgent issue. This study aims to explore a design strategy that can retain the cultural core of intangible cultural heritage and meet the modern aesthetic and functional needs, to solve the contradiction between intangible cultural heritage protection and market demand.2. The Method: This study adopts a three-stage approach of “cultural symbol extraction – design transformation – user verification”. Firstly, through field research and literature analysis, the core cultural symbols and craft characteristics of non-heritage items (e.g. shadow art, Tang San Cai technique) are systematically sorted out; secondly, using semiotics theory and design thinking, the non-heritage elements are transformed into visual language and functional modules that can be applied to modern products; lastly, through focus group interviews and A/B tests, the feedback of users on the design prototypes is collected to assess their cultural recognition and market acceptance. Finally, through focus group interviews and A/B testing, user feedback on the design prototype was collected to assess its cultural identity and market acceptance. Data collection covers design sketches, user behavior records, and satisfaction ratings. 3. The Sample: The study selected “Shadow Art” and “Luoyang Tang-San-Cai Technique” as Chinese national non-legacy projects, and developed a series of houseware and accessory cultural and creative products based on the design prototypes of their representative patterns and techniques. 4. The Results: The study found that the narrative integration of non-heritage elements (e.g., the storytelling design of shadow patterns) significantly enhanced users’ cultural resonance, with a market acceptance rate of 78% for the tested products, and that young people showed a higher preference for the fusion style of “traditional craftsmanship + minimalist design”. 5. Conclusion: This study suggests that the deep integration of nonheritage and cultural and creative design can not only enhance the sense of cultural identity but also provide sustainable economic support for the inheritance of non-heritage. This approach provides an empirical path for the modernization and transformation of traditional handicrafts and is of great practical significance for promoting the upgrading of cultural industries and the living protection of non-heritage. Keywords: Intangible cultural heritage, cultural and creative product design, cultural symbols, user identity, sustainable inheritance